Help! Is Florence too crowded to enjoy

Fiesole would be my suggestion for at least a day trip - very evocative place. Located in the hills above Florence and easily accessed by bus, it predates the founding of Florence by several hundred years... goes back to Etruscan times. Just strolling around the pretty little town away from the tourist crush down below is a delight on a pleasant day, and the Teatro Romano is worth a couple of hours just meandering among the ruins. Am told that they still use the old amphitheater for summer concerts if you're interested.
A pleasant stroll, depending upon your interest and available time, would be to go out to Montececeri where there's a monument commemorating Leonardo's test flight of his flying machine in 1506. Nice views from various overlooks out onto the city of Florence below. For a good stretch of the legs, take the bus up the hill to the town and then walk back down the hill at the end of the day.

When is your trip? We were there last December and absolutely loved it off season! It wasn't crowded and it felt like we had Florence to ourselves, relatively speaking. That being said. We have also been there many other times in shoulder and full tourist season and it was pretty crowded and somewhat miserable with the crowds.

I agree with Fiesole as a side trip. Any of the Tuscan hill towns within an hours bus ride also would be a good choice.

Florence? A tourist trap? No way! :O)

Will it be very busy? Yes, but that doesn't make the city and its treasures worth a miss. The Uffizi and Accademia were crowded when we were the a few years ago (May) but we were not elbowed at the Bargello, San Marco, lovely Piazza della Santissima Annunziata and church of the same name (don't miss the frescoes in the entry cloister!), the Boboli Gardens (they're huge) and any number of backstreets that we just wandered into. I don't recall the baptistry at the duomo being overly crowded either. I haven't done it yet but Palazzo Davanzati is supposed to be very impressive and largely overlooked by tourists.

But other than ON Ponte Vecchio - which is the worst place to admire it anyway - and the street immediately leading to it, we didn't feel completely trampled. Then again, my tolerance for the masses and yours may be different?

Oh yes, as suggested above, try Fiesole?

I hate crowds, and the only places where the crowds bothered me in 2014 were the Uffizi, Accademia and crossing the Ponte Vecchio. We didn't try to get inside the Duomo or it might have made the list. We are art and museum freaks - we had no problems at the other places we visited (Bargello, Santa Croce, Medici chapel, Pitti Palace, Boboli Gardens, Galileo Museum, Museum of Precious Stones, etc). Nor did we have any problem getting tables at the restaurants suggested by our hotel.

Since you've already been to Florence and don't need to tick items off a list of must-sees, I think you have a great chance of enjoying your time in Florence.

For a pleasant, relaxing experience, visit the Oltrarno and wander the quiet streets, stopping for a glass of wine in any of a number of small wine bars. The area near the Duomo is always jammed, but as some have suggested, getting away from the heavily touristed areas can be refreshing and rewarding.

Thank you everyone for your encouragement. I happy to hear it is still enjoyable. I started to worry. I'll look into Fiesole. I had thought an overnight in Siena might be a break from the crowd. We're going the first week of September. Thanks again to everyone for your thoughtful responses 👌🏻

Second the Oltrarno (check out the bar and gelateria on Piazza della Passera) and especially the San Niccolo neighborhood, which is a little farther out and therefore less visited.

You could stay in Fiesole and bus into Firenze.

I thought of that and couldn't find a place to stay that didn't the break the bank. Do you have any suggestions, Zoe?

We were in Italy this past June, staying at an agriturismo in Tuscany. Ahead of time, we planned to visit Florence as a day trip. We'd been there a few years ago, loved it, and wanted to get back even if our return visit was going to be very brief. Then we decided to make it an overnight stay. After I booked a B&B stay right in the city center (off the Duomo piazza) I learned that our full day there happened to fall on the feast day of the city's patron saint, St. John the Baptist. I read that many shops and restaurants would be closed and the city would be crowded with tourists who were there for the costumed parades, other festivities, and evening fireworks. I really worried that we would not have a quality experience in Florence. However, our day there was wonderful. We had no trouble being seated at an outdoor table for breakfast in the Duomo piazza, had a great day walking all around the city, got up to San Miniato al Monte for evening vespers and Gregorian chanting, and enjoyed a leisurely walk--all downhill--to the restaurant where we had a dinner reservation, situated on the Arno river, with a tableside view of the Ponte Vecchio. We enjoyed the fireworks afterwards and that night did get a peaceful night of sleep without too much street noise. If we'd wanted to visit the Accademia Gallery or Uffizi Gallery, I'd have gotten tickets ahead of time, but we've been to them before and didn't have any museums on the agenda for this short return visit. We did check into climbing either the steps of the Duomo, up to the dome, or the steps of the Campanile, but those were by reserve time slot only, and there were no openings. We took the #12 bus to get up to San Miniato al Monte. The stop is right outside the train station. We thought the Gregorian chanting would start at 5:30 p.m. There was a vesper service that started at that time. When it was over, at 6:30 p.m., the Gregorian chanting started. The view of the city from up there is amazing. The next day, I got outside at 6:30 a.m. to photograph the Duomo and Campanile before any tourists were in the piazza, and it was quiet and peaceful. I think Florence is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and would not let the possibility of tourist crowds dissuade you from a return visit after all this time away. The restaurant that had that world-class view was the Golden View. The food and service were excellent.

Doesn't seeing Florence as a day trip from somewhere else defeat the purpose of being able to see and enjoy it without the crowds? You don't really have to be out and about 6:00 am, most day trippers aren't there until at least 9-10 and the crowds thin out starting about 4-5 pm. Enjoy your stay and if the crowds get to you, take a couple of day trips to other areas - many good ideas posted here and you can do a search on "day trips from Florence" and get lots more ideas. My suggestions would be Siena and Lucca, although Siena may be quite crowded also it won't be as bad as Florence and Lucca is rarely that crowded.

April through October there are lots of tourists. November thru March there are fewer. December through February is the lowest, except for around the end of the year holidays.
Is that a reason to ask for help? I lived there for half of my life, I survived. Most Florentines live there all of their lives. They survive.
Can you handle being around tourists for 5 days?
If too many tourists scare you, you should visit ugly cities. Taranto is a good place to start. They'd love to see one tourist once in a while.

Love, love, love Florence! No amount of tourists would keep me from staying right in the center of Florence. Been here 6x in the last 15 years in the months of June, July, Sept. & October sometimes spending 5-6 nights. Have also stayed in the Oltrarno neighborhood which is lovely too--apt on Via Toscanella, by Piazza Passera. Have visited Fiesole but would never opt to stay here over Florence!
I have only fond memories of my visits to Florence with my husband and 2 sons and 2 girl's trips with my sisters and niece. So.much.fun!!! More shopping at the markets when there with my sisters:) You will have a great time!!

My first visit was in mid-October 2008, no crowds except inside the Uffizi, admission lines only at the Uffizi and the Accademia (I had reserved tickets). After a couple lovely, but short, visits in February (lots of students, few tourists), I found myself again in one of my favorite cities in mid-May for 2 nights. I was absolutely astounded by the crowds. Here's the view from the Ponte Vecchio toward the main pedestrian artery leading to the Duomo. I didn't visit any of the major sights except the Pitti Palace which wasn't overly crowded.

On one visit, I enjoyed wandering around the Oltrarno - doesn't attract many tourists, pretty residential area, very interesting. I think I used the audio Walks of Italy for part of it.

If you're still looking for a place to stay, try the Oltrarano - walking distance to the sights, yet far from the crowds.

We were there last December and absolutely loved it off season!

We were there December 2015 and had a wonderful time. It was busy, but not bad. There was no line to get into the Uffizi in the afternoon. I highly recommend traveling in the off season.

My son and I were there this past May. We did NOT get out by 6 but found the touristy stuff best in the am. Don't miss the Duomo Museum behind the Duomo. All the best art [and originals] but at eye level. NOT BUSY at all.

After being tourists all morning we had a leisurely lunch, a nap and went out for passigata sp? and wonderful dinners

Bobb

The area around Sant'Ambrogio is a an excellent antidote for the crowds that can sometimes clog the a few [place downtown. We stayed in that area for 10 days and loved it. What we did was venture out in the morning to some 'big-ticket' site like the Uffizi, then head back to the apartment for lunch or a snooze before heading out to one of the less frequented sites. Time and a handy place to rest is the answer to that harried feeling being in city can sometimes produce.

Don't forget to visit Trattoria DaRocco for lunch. It's located right inside the Mercato Sant'Ambrogio. It's not fancy, but the food is very good, quick, very reasonably priced and the food is very good (sorry but it bears repeating).

For an interesting 'local' experience pop down to the Caffe Letterario Le Murate on the Via Del'Angelo. There's usually some sort of show or activity going on.

San Miniato chants are wonderful. The Bargello, Orsanmichele Church, and Santa Maria Novella were respites from the crowds for me.

As a special challenge, you can try for a coffee with a view of Florence from the cafe terrace in the Bardini Gardens, which is adjacent to the Boboli Gardens. https://www.walkaboutflorence.com/what-to-do/caffè-belvedere-bardini-garden

We're staying in the Sant'Ambrogio area vicino al mercato. Grazie tutti per i vostri consigli e idee. And thanks for the coffee recommendations! We're very excited!

We're staying in the Sant'Ambrogio area vicino al mercato. Grazie tutti per i vostri consigli e idee. And thanks for the coffee recommendations! We're very excited!

I really don't have problems with crowds unless my personal space is intruded on. Example. the Vatican Museum where everyone is funneled down a hallway through one door to the next exhibit, shoulder to shoulder ...that I did not enjoy

@Jennifer: Just curious why you say it's a challenge to have a coffee in the gardens?

I have never understood how people can visit such places. It's
literally no different than taking a gondola ride in Las Vegas and
pretending you were in italy.

I do hope that was tongue in cheek, Kaeleku? Comparing Florence to Las Vegas is just daft. "Theme park"? Really?

San Miniato chants are wonderful.

Sadly, Jennifer, we weren't able to make a Gregorian service but the church, cemetery and lofty view were wonderful nonetheless!

I was last in Florence in May of 2016, and plan to return for a week next month. In 2016, I found that the area from San Lorenzo to the Ponte Vecchio to be pretty well crowded with tourists, but not overwhelming and I personally dislike crowds. But we found it easy to escape the tourist crowds. Just go a few blocks off in either direction ands crowds reduce significantly. I've spent a fair amount of time in the Santa Croce area and have not found it to be mobbed with tourists for instance.

I have never understood how people can visit such places. It's
literally no different than taking a gondola ride in Las Vegas and
pretending you were in italy.

I have often been amused by your frequently scathing/negative views of any European city that attracts large tourist crowds.

But this one manages to insult not only a beautiful city with one of the most magnificent collections of Renaissance art and architecture in the world, but the thousands of people who love it for just that reason. Theme park? Hardly.

Complain about the crowds if you wish. Or educate yourself in how to avoid the worst of those crowds - in my experience it is certainly possible to do so, with very little effort.

It's literally no different than taking a gondola ride in Las Vegas and pretending you were in italy.

Actually you are literally in Italy when you are in Florence. There is no need to pretend.

Disdain for tourists is unwarranted in some instances. Some "tourists" may actually be sophisticated and quite educated in the history of western art. I for one would rather pursue my interests in artistic gems than the latest "happening" destination.

I appreciate all the positive comments and suggestions. I was worried that Florence would've lost some of its charm. But I am reassured that authenticity is always available if you know where to look. I lived in Hawaii for many years and watched Waikiki turn into a shopping mall. My fear was the same for Florence.

Ah, the only constant is change. Well, Florence is unique and time won't change that. I intend to enjoy it. Mahalo, brah, I will find its aloha

Ah, the only constant is change. Well, Florence is unique and time won't change that. I intend to enjoy it. Mahalo, brah, I will find its aloha

I am starting to think that you find what you look for.

Well, Florence is unique and time won't change that. I intend to enjoy
it. Mahalo, brah, I will find its aloha

Bravo, harrinanan. Seek joy and you will find it.